Are you considering a Motorcycle or even a Scooter?

In My Humble Opinion
1

In this thread **Laughing Lagomorph ** asked if folks have noticed fewer drivers on the road in their area. The conversation has thus far been sprinkled with comments about motorcycles and scooters. Rather than hijack LL’s thread I created this one to ask the following:

Are you considering purchasing a motorcycle or scooter? If so, which, and why?

I am, at this point, seriously considering a motorcycle. I’ve already taken the three day state sponsored safety course and have had the Motorcycle endorsement added to my driver’s license.

I’m currently looking at either a 250, like the Yamaha Virago (now V Star 250) or Honda Rebel, or a 750, like the Honda Shadow.

The advantage of the 250s, of course, is gas mileage. Both the Virago and the Rebel get about 75 miles per gallon, and perhaps a little more if you’re a very conservative rider. The downsides are because they’re light bikes (under 350 lbs), and their maximum speed is approximately 75 miles per hour (depending on the weight of the rider), it isn’t wise to take them on freeways or interstates. For local roads, especially those with maximum posted speed limits of 55 miles per hour, they’re great. There are other 250s out there, but the Rebel and Virago have gotten the best overall reviews.

The advantages of the 750s are power, the ability to carry more weight, the ability to get out of tight spots quickly and react better to emegencies, and unlike 250s, because 750s are heaver, there’s less negative effect from the wind turbulence created by large passing vehicles such as trucks. An offset to the advantages of a 750cc motorcycle is gas mileage, which is typically between 35 and 55 miles per gallon, depending on bike, how the bike is riden, and the weight of the rider. This is still better than any standard car, but not as good as 250 class motorcycles.

As far as scooters go, as far as I’m concerned, there’s a direct trade-off of speed for performance. Scooters can get up into the range of 90 miles per gallon, some higher, but, of the ones I checked out, you’re talking 45 to 50 miles per hour maximum.

My SO is considering the Qlink Sapero (AKA CFMoto V3) which is a sweet-looking, sporty 250 (click here for photos). What’s unique about this bike is that it has as automatic transmission, which means no foot-shifting or hand-clutching. Also, both brakes are on the handlebars, unlike most motorcycles, which has one brake on the right handlebar and the other controlled by the rider’s right foot. Another advantage is, unlike most sporty bikes where the rider leans way forward and the footpegs are just forward of the rear wheels, with the Sapero, the rider sits straight up and the footpegs are full foot rests, and are positioned accordingly. She test-rode one last weekend and is thisclose to placing an order.

Of course the other advantage of two-wheeled conveyances is price. You can buy a brand new 250cc motorcycle (most brands) for about $3000

My why is gas prices. My car gets about 21 miles per gallon and it’s killing me to pay $70 twice a week to fill up. That’s right, I’m paying approximately $550 a month on gas (My commute’s a nightmare, but that’s another story). However, I’m in New Jersey, and because of seasonal climate effects there’d definitely be at least a few months I couldn’t ride, but for those months I do I imagine a potential savings of approximately $200 per month. Worth it in my book.

2

Not me, but my hubby, is definitely looking at buying a motorcycle. We live in western Maryland, about 2 and a half hours west of Baltimore, where he works.

He works from home on Mondays, then goes down on Tuesday mornings (early) and comes home Friday evening. He stays with his elderly parents down there, which works, because he does yard-work etc. for them, and then doesn’t have to pay rent on a separate apartment.

His commute from his parent’s house to his office is 5-10 minutes, depending on which office he’s working from (he’s got two). But his commute from here to there is killing us. Roughly 1,600 miles/month. He would need an “old lag” down there to get him from his parent’s house to his office, but anything would serve, as it’s only a few miles.

The money served in getting 3X the gas mileage on his trip here and down and back would almost pay for the bike. Then, of course, we’d have the bike for road trips for just the two of us, etc.

He’s gotten his learner’s permit for a motor bike in this state, and will take the test soon. Then he will start shopping for a bike.

Since the commute is considerable, he’s looking at comfort: either a Honda GoldWing (like an iPod: lots of accessories available) or a BMW. His current ride is a Beemer and he’s more than pleased with it. The bottom line will be “trying them on” when he gets his license.

As an addition, I’ll tell you I have a renter (we own both halves of a duplex, and this guy rents a room in the other “half” of the house) who primarily drives a small motorbike or a moped. He’s very satisfied, outside of his ability to carry much stuff.

3

I don’t have to think as I already own one. I have been thinking of going down a size though to a 650. I have a large touring bike that gets almost 40mpg, but it’s getting old and I’d like something new.

I had a Honda Shadow 600 that got close to 60mpg after I had cleaned the carbs. If you’re looking at a 250, the Ninja will get very good mileage, 55+ I think, and has some good pickup. I know it will do above 100. I have ridden one and it wasn’t too bad, I didn’t have many problems on the highway either.

norinew, your husband may want to consider something other then a BMW, the repair bills can get very costly. I’ve had my Kawasaki Concours for 9 years now and only had one problem with it in over 100k. He could find one of those cheap I’m sure, and they have more then enough power for two people to go anywhere.

Oddly enough I’m the one that should be riding everyday but I don’t. We’ve just had our second child and I have to take the two year old to daycare everyday. I haven’t really ridden the bike at all this summer, which is really strange.

4

Thanks for the advice. I’ll be sure to pass it along, and I’m sure he’ll be please to have it. :cool:

5

As far as I can tell, that’s pretty much it. Mileage is inversely correlated with power.

For scooters, though, there’s the option of the maxi-scooter class, which are basically touring scooters. Before I decided to get my Kawasaki Vulcan 900, I was dead set on getting the Suzuku Burgman 650. About 50 mpg and has a top speed over 100 mph. The 400 version gets about 60 mpg and I think a top speed around 80-90.

6

I bought one back in 2006 when gas prices first started going up. I have a Honda Shadow Aero 750. It gets about 65MPG. I try to ride it 2 or 3 days a week. I normally don’t ride when I have several errands to run or it’s calling for rain. To me it’s a lot of hassle taking my jacket, helmet, and sunglasses on and off for every stop, and riding in the rain, in addition to being uncomfortable, is also more dangerous. Especially with the hellatious storms we have here during the summer. I also don’t ride at night because of deer.

Anyway, I think if you’re careful you can save some money and have some fun. BUT, if you want to get into biking just to save on gas, how many years of gas savings will it take to equal the purchase price of bike+insurance+taxes?

7

This is the big thing. I decided to do it anyway because I wanted a new vehicle and gas was as good an excuse as any to get a bike. But I’m not saving money at all yet. Still, the lower gas consumption is important to me as well, aside from just net dollars spent.

8

Nice! 900 Classic or Custom? (I ride the latter)

9

I want a motorcycle so much. But I’m not allowed to get one because my girlfriend and I both agreed I would would probably kill myself.

I can’t be trusted with anything that can go fast.

10

I ride the Burgman 650 get about 45 mpg, best ride I have ever had.

11

My husband recently bought me a 1983 Harley Sportster. I looked it up and it should get around 50-60 mpg. It’s not ready to ride though. He bought it from a guy who had it in storage, and it needs some refurbishing. Which also means customized! My hubby is the best!

It should be ready to ride by early spring. :slight_smile:

12

I also have both, or will soon anyway. I’ve got a Piaggio BV500 “maxi-scooter”, and am about to add in a Kawasaki Vulcan 750 cruiser to my garage. I anticipate continuing to use the BV500 as my standard commuting ride, though, as for the money the BV500 is perfect. I bought it used, in excellent condition, with 1600 miles on it plus a windshield for $4200 all included. I then added a large 47 liter top case, a louder horn and heated grips for cold weather riding (I ride even in the winter until there’s ice/snow on the ground) for another couple of hundred.

For a total outlay of under $5,000 net, I got:
[ul][li]A 460cc, 21hp engine on a bike with a dry weight of 416 lbs.[/li][li]It has a 16" front wheel and a 14" rear wheel, which is not much smaller than some cruiser motorcycles[/li][li]Due to the more motorcycle-like wheel size and weight, I can easily and comfortably maintain 75 MPH on the highway, and feel stable (unlike on a smaller scooter)[/li][li]Yet it has a CVT “automatic” transmission, no clutch/shifting required (which can get tiring in constant stop-and-go city traffic)[/li][li]It has dual disc brakes in front and a single disc brake in the rear[/li][li]It’s fuel injected, no problems starting in cold weather or riding in high altitudes[/li][li]It has underseat storage, like just about all scooters[/li][li]It has a belt final drive, no chain to maintain and a smoother ride than on a bike with a shaft final drive[/li][li]I get 55 MPG in 95% city riding, over 60 MPG if I do significant highway riding[/li][li]I can carry 4-6 bags of groceries in the locking top case[/li][/ul]

It would take a long time to recoup $5,000 in savings based solely on gas mileage (especially when you factor in the $100+/year in insurance). So that should really not be the primary reason to go to two wheels, just a bonus. What does it for me is that my commute time is literally shaved in half compared to what it is by mass transit, plus it’s a lot more fun than being crammed into a subway car with 100+ other people with iffy air conditioning and trains that keep running into congestion, signal problems or track work… That I also have to take a bus to get to. And I found a place I can park for free near where I work, so it’s all good (except for the one or two times I’ve fallen off).

So why get the Vulcan? Because while the BV will run fine on the highway, I find the rear-biased weight distribution of a scooter design (due to the engine and fuel tank placement) to result in less road feel through the handlebars at higher speeds (at least that’s how I would describe it). Plus, I wanted to practice my clutch-and-shifting skills so that I can borrow or rent standard motorcycles when I need or want to, and not get stuck like so many drivers do who can only drive automatic transmission cars (in the two-wheeled world, pretty much everything still has a manual transmission, though we may see that begin to change over the next 10 years).

For example, I’ve heard of the CFMoto “auto motorcycle”, it’s pretty intriguing. Sounds like a blast. As more and more people get into motorcycling who aren’t doing so in order to join a biker subculture, but instead just want to retain the freedom of personal (non-mass) transit while maximizing gasoline efficiency, I think we’ll see a big ramp-up in beginner-friendly CVT bikes in many different sizes and frames, especially given how many Americans have never operated a manual transmission of any kind.

13

The Kawasaki Ninja 250 will get 70-75 MPG depending on how hard you ride it.
I have a Ninja 500 and can consistently get 55-60MPG depending on riding.

14

I have a scooter, which my boyfriend presciently surprised me with last Christmas. I’ve been more-than-idly considering a motorcycle, though. Vroom!

15

I’ve got one too, after years of riding everything from full-out sport bikes to sport-tourers to Harley cruisers.

I love the Burgman. It’s definitely in my top three favorites of all the bikes I’ve owned. It’s fast, it’s easy to ride, it’s got storage space big enough to put your helmet and jacket so you don’t have to carry them around, and it’s just all around a good machine.

If you’re not wedded to the ‘motorcycle mystique’ and just want something that looks cool, goes fast, gets you there in comfort, and doesn’t require you to learn quite as many skills (scooters have automatic transmissions), I highly recommend a maxi-scooter. Suzuki, Honda, Yamaha, Vespa, and Aprilia make them…not sure if Kawasaki does, but I suspect they probably do too.

16

Got to say, I love my Goldwing. We rode for about 4 hours in the Rocky Mountains Sunday and used a whole 3 gallons of gas. Just about every weekend is a trip to the mountains.

I don’t have an mp3 on mine. I have a radio and cassette so I guess I could put an adapter on there if I wanted. It sure is comfortable. And I can carry a lot of stuff.

We had both jackets, boots, gloves, and a small picnic cooler crammed on it with room to spare.

17

One bit of unsolicited advice from a longtime rider–I would say that a Honda GoldWing would not be a good choice for a new rider. Those things are huge, very heavy, and extremely difficult to put upright again if they fall over. They don’t come with a reverse gear for nothing–even paddling them backwards isn’t an easy feat unless you’re quite large and long-legged, and trying to do it on any kind of a slope isn’t very much fun. I’ve never actually ridden one, though I have paddled one around a bit to get the feel for it. I would imagine that they’d be extremely comfortable over long hauls, but trying to do any kind of emergency maneuver on something that big and heavy when you’re still learning the “second nature” things that even longtime riders sometimes have trouble with is just adding an extra level of complexity.

Just my two cents. :slight_smile:

18

Classic. It’s been great, although it’s in the shop right now (dead battery, and I’m making them check the bike for any defects, because I’ve only had it for three weeks). I would have gotten the Burgman, but there were none to be found anywhere near me, and I didn’t want to wait for fall. I’m really really happy with the Vulcan, though.

19

Ha. As soon as I posted the above, the mechanic called to let me know the stater was bad. I knew I didn’t drain the battery by accident. But that’ll be another week I can’t ride the bike until they get the new part in. :frowning:

20

Yep, my local CFMoto dealer explained the whole CVT deal to my SO. They had a metalic blue model of the V3 in stock that she tried out and fell in love with when she realized the only thing she had to contend with was the throttle. The bike is also bigger than any other 250 I’ve seen, and heavier at 400 lbs.

As far as gas mileage as justification for buying a motorcycle, unless proven to the contrary, I stick by my contention that it makes sense. If I can save approximately $200 per month on gas, in less than two years I will have made my money back, including taxes and insurance, especially if gas prices keep going up.

Then there’s the fun factor, which you can’t really put a price on. :slight_smile: